Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar
On the southeast Texas stop of his Good for Texas Tour: Supply Chains Edition, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today toured Dow, one of the state’s leading chemical manufacturers. Its products are used in a variety of end-use products such as office supplies, pharmaceuticals, cleaning supplies and food.
“To mitigate chemical manufacturing supply chain unpredictability, industry leaders like Dow are examining ways to use advanced data analytics and other technology to improve agility and efficiency,” Hegar said. “Some of Dow’s processes are now used consistently across the industry and will likely become permanent as the chemical industry safeguards itself against severe weather events, cyberattacks, trade disputes, supply and demand volatility and evolving global regulations.”
During his latest Good for Texas Tour, Hegar is sharing the results of a new Comptroller’s office study detailing the vital role supply chains play in enhancing production efficiencies and reducing costs for producers and consumers. The study also examines the risks to supply chains and how businesses and the federal government are responding to those risks.
Dow, which has been in Texas since 1940, also has manufacturing locations in Deer Park, La Porte, Bayport, Texas City, Seadrift, Victoria, Beaumont, Sabine and Freeport, as well as a business center in Houston. The site in Freeport is the largest integrated manufacturing site in the Western Hemisphere. Dow recently announced a new facility in Freeport, set to be complete in 2023, to support downstream polyurethane systems products. It is expected to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and water usage, officials said.
Dow is part of a chemical manufacturing industry in Texas that contributes $52.7 billion annually to the state’s gross domestic product. Wages in the industry average $113,372 annually, and there are about 83,534 jobs, with most located in Harris County. Texas is the country’s top chemical producer and exporter. In 2020, chemicals were the third-largest export, with a value of about $40 billion, or 14.3 percent of the state’s total exports.
For more information on the tour, including video and social media graphics, go to the Comptroller’s website.